Tomorrow you turn 1/2! I can't believe it. Well, I
can say that you have taught your dad and I a lot
these past six months. Here are some things we can do
now:

DAD:
1. Handle direct contact with bodily fluids on a
regular basis. MAJOR.
2. Lull you to sleep on the most difficult of nights.
3. Make you smile just by entering the room.
4. Bring out the little dancer girl in you.

MOM:
1. Wake up. Go back to sleep. Wake up. Go back to
sleep. Wake up. Go back to sleep. Repeat with varying
degrees of intensity every night.
2. Do anything as if I had one hand tied behind my
back.
3. Clean the entire house with you attached to me
(via baby carrier). Including multiple trips up and
down the stairs with laundry.
4. Change a diaper in under a minute.

And you, my dear, you are busier than ever. It's
official YOU CAN SIT without our help. I still put
pillows around you when you are playing because your
form is not quite perfect just yet. Also, I
discovered tooth #2 this past week. Way to go girl!
Working on the solid foods. I gave you some banana
and avocado and you weren't into them. In fact your
not that into any solid food recently. I'm sticking
with you though, I know nothing lasts for long.

Well, honey, I need to go to bed. I hope that you are
having as good of time getting to know us as we have
been with you. You truly light up our days and we are
so lucky to have you in our life.

From the start I was
figuring out Mirah's "month" age by dividing her
"weeks" age by 4. That's starting to make less and
less sense. Plus I don't like the time in between
when she is, for example, six months in weeks (24
weeks) but not six months by the calendar (August
1st). It creates some sort of mental tension for me.

Mirah's now 24 weeks (not yet 6 months). Wow. These
past weeks have been incredible. She changes so much
everyday I won't be able to note ALL of the wonderful
things she's been up to, but I will try.

So here we go little M, here's what you've been up
to:

1. Sitting up. It's not completely official yet, but
you've been known to sit up unsupported for several
minutes. I still have to keep a hand close by as to
thwart the inevitable face plant.

2. Roll over back to front. You know when a cat
almost lands on its back but somehow flips itself
over onto all fours? Well, when I place you down on
your back now you flip onto your tummy almost that
fast. I'm exaggerating but sometimes it seems that
fast. This roll over has been causing some problems
in the sleep department. Let me explain. Bed time.
Lie you down on your back. Give you the paci. You
fall fast asleep. A minute goes by I hear "ehh, ehh,
ehh, ehh." Go to your room. There I find you face
down with your arms straight out to the side flailing
desperately. So I roll you over and give you the
paci. You fall asleep. Repeat this again every couple
of minutes for at least a half an hour then start all
over three or four hours later. Let's just say it's
been a long week of baby flipping.

3. Grabbing for everything. You make this very
serious face of concentration now as you see
something that you want to grab and you slowly move
both hands toward it until you reach it. I think you
are experimenting with your ever-improving binocular
vision. It's very cute. We now have to be careful
when we have you at the dinner table because you
reach out and grab whatever is in front of you. Even
though you've had rice cereal I don't you're ready
for Masaman Curry just yet.

4. You can eat off a spoon. You have always been good
at eating and you transitioned to the spoon very
smoothly. I think you're willing to accept any method
of getting food into your body. You've only had rice
cereal at this point, but I plan to introduce you to
more exciting things soon.

5. Laughing at funny word(s). You're first favorite
word was "waffles." You pretty much thought it was
hilarious. We loved it too, because we could get you
to laugh just by saying it. You change fast and the
past couple days we've tried to get a reaction out of
you by saying "waffles" and you just give us the
"that was so last week" look. Bummer. Hopefully we'll
find a new funny word soon.

6. Fun in the tub. Bath time is now a fun time; even
the getting out part. You have two favorite parts of
bath time: sucking on your toes and watching water
pour through your hands.

More recently (as in the past two nights)

7. Your sleep has been improving again. You've
decided to stay on your tummy when you roll over at
night. At first it made me nervous, but I watched you
lift you head up and switch sides, so I think you've
got it under control. Although I have caught you
sleeping face straight down into the mattress. I'm
not a big fan of that one, but I think you've got a
hard enough nose to keep your airway open. Just don't
make this one a habit.

The most likely reason for all the night waking was
discovered yesterday....

8. I felt a tooth! You were chewing on my finger and
"ouch!" I felt something sharp. I can't see it yet,
but it's been confirmed but Dr. Uncle Mike. A tooth
is emerging.

So, sweet M I think I covered the most important
things you do these days. I really can't believe how
quickly you have been growing and learning. It's
exciting, but it makes us sad some days because it
seems to be happening really fast.

Well, I better go and enjoy some quiet time before
you wake up and need to be flipped.